Indian vaccine major company Bharat Biotech has struck a licensing agreement with the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis (WashU) for developing, conducting clinical trials, manufacturing and distributing a novel chimp-adenovirus, single dose intranasal vaccine candidate for Covid-19.

As per the pact, Bharat Biotech will have the rights to distribute the vaccine in all global markets, excluding US, Europe and Japan.

While the Phase I trials for the vaccine will take place in Saint Louis University’s vaccine & treatment evaluation unit, the company will take up further stages of clinical trials for the vaccine in India after obtaining approvals.

Bharat Biotech will take up large scale manufacturing of the vaccine at its facility in Hyderabad. It plans to manufacture about a billion doses.